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2025–26 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

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The 2025–26 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by coach first year head coach Kevin Willard, played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania and Xfinity Mobile Arena as members of the Big East Conference.

ConferenceBig East Conference
Record24–9 (15–5 Big East)
Headcoach
Assistant coaches
Quick facts Villanova Wildcats men's basketball, Big 5 Classic champions ...
2025–26 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Big 5 Classic champions
NCAA tournament, First round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record24–9 (15–5 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFinneran Pavilion
Xfinity Mobile Arena
Seasons
← 2024–25
2026–27 →
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More information Conf., Overall ...
2025–26 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 10 St. John's †18–2 .90030–7  .811
No. 2 UConn17–3 .85034–6  .850
Villanova15–5 .75024–9  .727
Seton Hall10–10 .50021–12  .636
Creighton9–11 .45016–18  .471
DePaul8–12 .40016–16  .500
Marquette7–13 .35012–20  .375
Butler7–13 .35016–16  .500
Providence7–13 .35015–18  .455
Xavier6–14 .30015–18  .455
Georgetown6–14 .30016–18  .471
† 2026 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
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Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2024–25 season 21–15, 11–9 in Big East play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Seton Hall in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing to UConn in the quarterfinals. They accepted a bid to the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament where they defeated Colorado in the first round and USC in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to UCF.

On March 15, 2025, the school fired head coach Kyle Neptune.[1] Assistant coach Mike Nardi was named interim coach for the postseason tournament.[1] On March 30, the school named Maryland head coach Kevin Willard the team's new head coach.[2]

Offseason

Departures

More information Name, Number ...
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Josiah Moseley0F6'6"185FreshmanRound Rock, TXTransferred to Texas Tech
Kris Parker1G6'9"195Redshirt FreshmanTallahassee, FLTransferred to UCF
Jhamir Brickus2G5'11"205GS SeniorCoatesville, PAGraduated
Wooga Poplar5G6'5"197SeniorPhiladelphia, PAGraduated
Aleksandar Gavalyugov7G6'2"195FreshmanSofia, BulgariaTransferred to Santa Clara
Jordann Dumont10F6'8"200Redshirt FreshmanMontreal, QCTransferred to VCU
Collin O'Toole12G6'1"180SeniorRye, NYWalk-on; graduated
Enoch Boakye13C6'11"250SeniorBrampton, ONTransferred
Jordan Longino15G6'5"215SeniorDoylestown, PATransferred
Malcolm Thomas20F6'8"195FreshmanMitchelville, MDTransferred to Dayton
Nnanna Njoku21F6'9"260Redshirt JuniorNewark, DETransferred to Delaware
Eric Dixon43F6'8"255GS SeniorWillow Grove, PAGraduated/undrafted in 2025 NBA draft; signed with the Los Angeles Lakers
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Incoming transfers

More information Name, Num ...
NameNumPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious school
Zion Stanford1G6'6"205JuniorPhiladelphia, PATemple
Bryce Lindsay2G6'3"195Redshirt SophomoreBaltimore, MDJames Madison
Devin Askew5G6'5"195GS SeniorSacramento, CALong Beach State
Tafara Gapare6F6'9"215SeniorWellington, New ZealandMaryland
Malachi Palmer7G6'6"212SophomoreHarrisburg, PAMaryland
Malcolm Flaggs15G6'6"200Redshirt JuniorTuba City, AZGrand Canyon
Braden Pierce17C7'0"245Redshirt SophomoreWoodstock, GAMaryland
Duke Brennan24F6'10"250SeniorChandler, AZGrand Canyon
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2025 recruiting class

More information Name, Hometown ...
College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Acaden Lewis
#7 PG		 Washington, DC Sidwell Friends School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 1, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (88)
Chris Jeffrey
#33 PG		 Brooklyn, NY Mt. Zion Prep 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 9, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (81)
Nico Onyekwere
#60 C		 Glen Head, NY Long Island Lutheran High School 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Apr 29, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 3/5 stars   (79)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Villanova Commits". Rivals.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.
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Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2025–26 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Chris Jefferey 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrMount Zion Prep Brooklyn, NY
G 1 Zion Stanford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrTemple Philadelphia, PA
G 2 Bryce Lindsay 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)194 lb (88 kg) RS SoJames Madison Baltimore, MD
G 4 Tyler Perkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)212 lb (96 kg) JrPenn Lorton, VA
G 5 Devin Askew 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) GSLong Beach State Sacramento, CA
F 6 Tafara Gapare 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrMaryland Wellington, New Zealand
G 7 Malachi Palmer 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)212 lb (96 kg) SoMaryland Harrisburg, PA
G 14 Wade Chiddick (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrWesttown School King of Prussia, PA
G 15 Malcolm Flaggs 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)212 lb (96 kg) RS JrGrand Canyon Tuba City, AZ
C 17 Braden Pierce 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS SoMaryland Woodstock, GA
C 21 Nico Onyekwere 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)240 lb (109 kg) FrLong Island Lutheran HS Abuja, Nigeria
F 24 Duke Brennan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) SrGrand Canyon Chandler, AZ
F 33 Matt Hodge 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS FrSt. Rose HS Belmar, NJ
G 55 Acaden Lewis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrSidwell Friends School Washington, D.C.
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

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Schedule and results

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2025*
5:00 p.m.		 VCU W 70–51 
 15 – Lewis  7 – Tied  3 – Tied  Finneran Pavilion (4,799)
Villanova, PA
October 24, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX		 at Virginia L 72–75 
 16 – Lewis  6 – Perkins  5 – Lewis  John Paul Jones Arena (13,751)
Charlottesville, VA
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
9:30 p.m., TNT/truTV		 vs. No. 8 BYU
Hall of Fame Series – Las Vegas		 L 66–71  0–1
  22 – Lindsay  15 – Brennan  3 – Lewis  T-Mobile Arena (16,704)
Paradise, NV
November 8, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Queens (NC)
Villanova Challenge		 W 94–74  1–1
  25 – Lindsay  20 – Brennan  4 – Tied  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Sacred Heart
Villanova Challenge		 W 94–60  2–1
  27 – Lindsay  11 – Brennan  8 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
November 15, 2025*
8:00 p.m., truTV		 Duquesne
Villanova Challenge		 W 87–77  3–1
  19 – Lewis  13 – Brennan  6 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
November 19, 2025*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN		 at La Salle
Big 5 Classic Pod 1		 W 70–55  4–1
  17 – Hodge  17 – Brennan  6 – Lewis  John Glaser Arena (2,653)
Philadelphia, PA
November 25, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Old Dominion W 89–75  5–1
  21 – Perkins  7 – Tied  4 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
December 1, 2025*
6:30 p.m., FS1		 Temple
Big 5 Classic Pod 1		 W 74–56  6–1
  19 – Perkins  8 – Brennan  8 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
December 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., NBCSP/Peacock		 vs. Penn
Big 5 Classic Championship		 W 90–63  7–1
  18 – Lindsay  10 – Brennan  7 – Lewis  Xfinity Mobile Arena (10,361)
Philadelphia, PA
December 9, 2025*
6:30 p.m., FS1		 at No. 2 Michigan L 61–89  7–2
  18 – Askew  6 – Tied  3 – Lewis  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
December 13, 2025*
4:30 p.m., TNT/truTV		 Pittsburgh W 79–61  8–2
  24 – Tied  9 – Brennan  7 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
December 19, 2025*
8:00 p.m., FOX		 vs. Wisconsin
Milwaukee Hoops Showdown		 W 76–66 OT 9–2
  19 – Perkins  11 – Brennan  4 – Tied  Fiserv Forum (7,328)
Milwaukee, WI
Big East regular season
December 23, 2025
7:00 p.m., Peacock		 at Seton Hall W 64–56  10–2
(1–0)		  16 – Lewis  10 – Perkins  4 – Lindsay  Prudential Center (11,153)
Newark, NJ
December 31, 2025
6:00 p.m., FS1		 DePaul W 71–66  11–2
(2–0)		  19 – Tied  12 – Brennan  3 – Tied  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 3, 2026
12:00 p.m., TNT/truTV		 at Butler W 85–67  12–2
(3–0)		  18 – Lindsay  10 – Brennan  6 – Lewis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,034)
Indianapolis, IN
January 7, 2026
7:30 p.m., Peacock		 Creighton L 72–76  12–3
(3–1)		  20 – Lewis  12 – Brennan  7 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 10, 2026
2:30 p.m., TNT/truTV		 at Marquette W 76–73  13–3
(4–1)		  20 – Lewis  6 – Askew  8 – Lewis  Fiserv Forum (15,342)
Milwaukee, WI
January 13, 2026
6:30 p.m., FS1		 at Providence W 88–82  14–3
(5–1)		  20 – Askew  8 – Tied  8 – Lewis  Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,476)
Providence, RI
January 17, 2026
8:00 p.m., Peacock		 St. John's L 79–86  14–4
(5–2)		  23 – Perkins  9 – Brennan  5 – Lewis  Xfinity Mobile Arena (14,899)
Philadelphia, PA
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., Peacock		 Georgetown W 66–51  15–4
(6–2)		  16 – Perkins  10 – Brennan  3 – Brennan  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 24, 2026
12:30 p.m., FOX		 at No. 2 UConn L 67–75 OT 15–5
(6–3)		  16 – Tied  14 – Brennan  5 – Lewis  PeoplesBank Arena (15,495)
Hartford, CT
January 30, 2026
7:00 p.m., FS1		 Providence W 87–73  16–5
(7–3)		  20 – Askew  8 – Brennan  8 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 4, 2026
6:30 p.m., Peacock		 Seton Hall W 72–60  17–5
(8–3)		  18 – Perkins  10 – Brennan  6 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., TNT/truTV		 at Georgetown W 80–73  18–5
(9–3)		  26 – Lewis  13 – Brennan  6 – Lewis  Capital One Arena (14,042)
Washington, DC
February 10, 2026
7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV		 Marquette W 77–74  19–5
(10–3)		  22 – Perkins  8 – Tied  5 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 14, 2026
2:30 p.m., FOX		 at Creighton W 80–69  20–5
(11–3)		  21 – Brennan  12 – Brennan  4 – Lewis  CHI Health Center Omaha (16,479)
Omaha, NE
February 17, 2026
6:30 p.m., FS1		 at Xavier W 92–89 OT 21–5
(12–3)		  21 – Lewis  13 – Brennan  6 – Tied  Cintas Center (9,439)
Cincinnati, OH
February 21, 2026
5:30 p.m., TNT/truTV		 No. 5 UConn L 63–73  21–6
(12–4)		  15 – Perkins  6 – Perkins  4 – Lewis  Xfinity Mobile Arena (20,261)
Philadelphia, PA
February 25, 2026
7:00 p.m., FS1		 Butler W 82–73  22–6
(13–4)		  20 – Lewis  10 – Brennan  5 – Brennan  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 28, 2026
8:00 p.m., FOX		 at No. 15 St. John's L 57–89  22–7
(13–5)		  12 – Brennan  8 – Brennan  3 – Tied  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
March 4, 2026
8:00 p.m., Peacock		 at DePaul W 76–57  23–7
(14–5)		  20 – Perkins  12 – Brennan  5 – Lewis  Wintrust Arena (4,913)
Chicago, IL
March 7, 2026
12:00 p.m., TNT/truTV		 Xavier W 91–78  24–7
(15–5)		  20 – Brennan  13 – Brennan  12 – Lewis  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
Big East tournament
March 12, 2026
9:42 p.m., FS1		 (3) vs. (11) Georgetown
Quarterfinal		 L 64–78  24–8
  14 – Brennan  6 – Brennan  3 – Tied  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2026
4:10 p.m., TNT		 (8 W) vs. (9 W) Utah State
First round		 L 76–86  24–9
  25 – Lindsay  8 – Brennan  8 – Lewis  Viejas Arena (11,418)
San Diego, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Eastern Time.
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Source[3]

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Week, Poll ...
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP[4]—————RVRV——RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV——
CoachesRV———————RV24RVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
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